UPDATED: Bannon surrenders to NY prosecutors
Steve Bannon, former White House aid and campaign manager of Donald Trump and proponent of a nationalist political philosophy, faces a possible five to 15 years in New York state prison if convicted on fraud charges related to a scheme to collect $15 million from Trump supporters to finance building a U.S./Mexico border wall. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Attorney General Letitia James on Sept. 8 held a news conference to announce charges against Bannon.
Earlier in the day, Bannon surrendered to prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney”™s Office. At his afternoon arraignment Bannon pleaded not guilty and was released without bail.
Bannon received a presidential pardon after being charged by the federal government in connection with the same scheme involving the organization “We Build the Wall.” The federal government alleged the abuse amounted to $25 million. Bragg said that New York prosecutors calculated the amount differently than did the federal prosecutors and found the fraud involved $15 million.
In the federal case, there were four defendants including Bannon. Two of the four pleaded guilty. One went to trial but a jury was unable to reach a verdict in his case.
“We are here today to announce the indictment of Steven Bannon and We Build the Wall Incorporated for a year-long fundraising scheme that netted more than $15 million from thousands of donors across the country based on false pretenses,” Bragg said. “In a series of payments throughout 2019, Mr. Bannon directed We Build the Wall to transfer tens of thousands of dollars at a time to a nonprofit corporation. This nonprofit corporation, Bannon”™s nonprofit corporation, then paid the salary to the We Build the Wall president thereby obscuring the source of the funds in direct contradiction to many, many promises made by Bannon, We Build the Wall, and others associated with this scheme.”
Bragg said that Bannon and We Build the Wall have been charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with: two counts of money laundering in the second degree; two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree; one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree; and one count of conspiracy in the fifth degree.
James said that the indictment is the result of joint efforts of Bragg”™s office and hers. She said that Bannon used his power and influence to cheat everyday Americans who thought they were helping finance a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico..
“When Mr. Bannon created a fundraising scheme to finance the construction of that wall he basically stole millions of dollars to line his own pocket and those of other politically-connected people,” James said. “Between January and December of 2019 Mr. Bannon and others publically represented that all of the money donated to We Build the Wall would be directed toward the organization”™s efforts to build a wall. Mr. Bannon lied to ordinary citizens about this project He diverted their hard-earned money. He preyed upon the emotions of New Yorkers and Americans.”
In July, Bannon was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress and is due to be sentenced next month. He could be sent to jail for up to two years for that offense.
Bannon has characterized the New York state charges against him as “phony.”